


Pink Camellia

by rinnenotsubasa



Category: SixTONES (Band)
Genre: Brotherhood, Character Death, Dealing With Loss, Grief, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Samurai Era, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, mentioned hokuje kyomojuri and snow man, my favorite tag, with a tiny bit of supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26580520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/pseuds/rinnenotsubasa
Summary: Hokuto didn’t want a pink camellia. He wanted a red spider lily. If he had that instead, Jesse wouldn’t have to die.
Relationships: Kyomoto Taiga & Morimoto Shintarou, Kyomoto Taiga/Matsumura Hokuto, Matsumura Hokuto & Morimoto Shintarou
Comments: 9
Kudos: 21
Collections: KyomoHokku Soulmate Edition





	Pink Camellia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stormy1990](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormy1990/gifts).



> Hello! I was both excited and nervous when I got the assignment, but ended up having fun writing this fic.  
> Hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> Beta-ed by the awesome [raokoogun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amater_asu/pseuds/raokoogun)!

Matsumura Hokuto argued with himself. It’s only been 2 months since Jesse was gone. And although Kyomoto Taiga wasn’t the killer, he’s the reason Hokuto couldn’t save Jesse.

The small voice of reason in Hokuto’s head told him that he shouldn’t have lashed out at Kyomoto. Yet Hokuto couldn’t help but bash Kyomoto with the rage that had been accumulated ever since witnessing the pink camellia on Kyomoto’s chest, right between his heart and collarbone. 

Hokuto had the exact same mark, with the same color, size, and place. Kyomoto knew that. Maybe that’s why he didn’t mirror Hokuto’s burst of anger when Hokuto slapped his hands away from the wide gash on the right side of Hokuto’s torso. Kyomoto didn’t even look offended when Hokuto continued to berate him for “being so meddlesome” just because they’re soulmates. The only thing betraying Kyomoto’s neutral expression was the hint of sadness reflected in his orbs. 

After refusing Kyomoto’s help, Hokuto tried to hide from everyone and treat his wound by himself. He just didn’t want to interact with another human being, preferably for the next couple of days. But of course he didn’t have such luxury. Kouchi Yugo, of all people, appeared at the shack by Lake Jako to drag Hokuto back to the Iwamoto Residence. It’s eerie how Kouchi seemed to figure out Hokuto’s thoughts most of the time even though they’ve only known each other for a little more than a month.

Lord Iwamoto gave Hokuto a warning glare for his brief runaway stunt and Hokuto complained about it to the person that made him get caught. 

“I could’ve healed it myself,” Hokuto grumbled between his hisses. His flank throbbed with stinging pain and Kouchi obviously didn’t try to be gentle as he pushed the healing energy from his palm to Hokuto’s open wound.

Kouchi didn’t bother to look up when he replied, “Last time I checked you have no skills to heal a curse-inflicted wound so shut up and let the expert work.”

Despite muttering several expletives under his breath, Hokuto didn’t attempt to stop Kouchi. It was true that Hokuto was incapable of healing his own wound. It’s not like he could just wrap it and hoped for a recovery just like that. The curse Sakuma casted on him was that of Abe Clan. The best you could hope for after getting a curse from Abe Clan was to die from loss of blood. There were worse deaths by Abe’s men and Hokuto had witnessed many of them with his very own eyes.

After finishing his treatment, Kouchi stood up from his kneeling position and hovered in front of Hokuto who was sitting on his bed. 

“Taiga should be by the pond,” said Kouchi.

Hokuto let out a groan. “Not my business.” It was frustrating enough to get injured by Abe’s lackey and forced to accept Kouchi’s help. Kouchi’s insinuation had him pissed off. Ignoring the small voice in his head that favored Kouchi, there’s no way Hokuto was going to find Taiga and apologize.

A silence stretched out between the two samurais of the Iwamoto Clan. During the quiet moment, Hokuto thought of kicking Kouchi out of his room, literally striking the latter on the ass if he had to. He’s confident that he could get away with it because he’s been serving under Lord Iwamoto for much longer, even though Kouchi was older than him. 

Before Hokuto could carry out the idea in his head, Kouchi spoke again.

“What you went through was horrible.”

The voice didn’t sound indifferent, but it’s not exactly sympathetic either. It was like the tone someone would use to say “Tomorrow the sun will rise from the east.” A fact. Nothing more and nothing less.

Hokuto tilted his head up and was met with Kouchi’s gaze. There Hokuto still couldn’t find any distinct emotion. 

Kouchi didn’t attempt to elaborate further. It was unspoken understanding; Kouchi was referring to Jesse’s demise. Kouchi and Kyomoto already knew the story when they both came to Lord Iwamoto and offered their allegiance. It was told by Lord Iwamoto himself as he gave his first order to his new retainers, which was to bring him the head of Meguro Ren, the one who cut his best warrior into pieces. 

Lord Iwamoto never spoke a word about Hokuto’s relationship with Jesse, but it was common knowledge in this residence and it’s hard to believe that Kouchi and Kyomoto hadn’t gotten wind about it during the 2 months they had been here. So even though Kouchi’s orbs were unreadable, Hokuto knew that Kouchi was talking about Hokuto’s greatest pain in his 23-years of life.

Now that Kouchi had gotten Hokuto’s attention, he continued. “But you’re not the only one.”

Hokuto didn’t want to but he found his mind kept wandering to Kouchi’s words even long after Kouchi was gone.

******

Hokuto once asked Jesse why the younger male often left the center of attention during celebration dinners and joined him at one corner of the room. The answer came out from Jesse’s mouth with an easy air, _“Because you’re here.”_ When Hokuto responded with a pout and a declaration of not needing Jesse to “babysit” him, Jesse chuckled before gulping down the sake from his cup. 

_“Can’t let you suffer in loneliness and jealousy.”_

At the time Hokuto merely smacked Jesse on the crown of his head without putting much power on it, though. Later when it was just the two of them, Hokuto gave Jesse soft kisses because he didn’t want to admit out loud that Jesse was right.

It’s a challenge to have a heart that’s very adamant on keeping its door closed, but once it learns to open for someone, it tells you to keep them inside forever, like an obsession. Hokuto wasn’t like Jesse who was upfront with his feelings and thoughts. He struggled to say words like “Stay with me” or “Don’t pay too much attention to other people.” That’s why Hokuto said nothing when he saw Morimoto Shintaro standing ankle-deep in the river, lips blooming into a wide smile as he made ripples from stomping his feet and his shoulders bumped onto Kyomoto next to him.

Shintaro was two years younger than Hokuto but had started serving for Lord Iwamoto much earlier, so it was Shintaro who taught most things Hokuto needed to protect Lord Iwamoto and his people. That’s the reason Hokuto wouldn’t think twice to put himself in front of enemy blade if he saw it charging towards Shintaro.

And as Jesse had pointed out in the past, Hokuto was secretly possessive. To see someone important to him being all cozy with other people, especially a newcomer like Kyomoto Taiga, was very much frustrating for Hokuto. He tried to focus on the innocent smile that lit up Shintaro’s face, but Kyomoto’s much more childish grin kept entering Hokuto’s sight and made his face muscles twitch.

Kyomoto was the first one who noticed Hokuto’s presence. His gaze seemed uncertain as it laid upon Hokuto, but never left Hokuto’s face. Hokuto pretended that he wasn’t affected by the unwavering gaze, staring back at Kyomoto with a glare. That’s when Hokuto saw it: the small, sad smile that he often caught Kyomoto looking at him with. The meaning of that smile was a mystery, and Hokuto found himself wanting to both solve it and keep it in the dark forever. 

As usual, Kyomoto didn’t seem to lose composure when Hokuto caught him with that expression. This time was no different, Kyomoto simply turned his face back to Shintaro as if nothing happened. 

Shintaro had always been perceptive and there’s no doubt that he sensed Hokuto’s animosity towards Kyomoto. The 21-year old never tried to force Hokuto to warm up to Kyomoto as easily as he did. So that’s why when Shintaro finally moved his attention away from the water and met eyes with Hokuto, he didn’t ask Hokuto to join them. Instead, Shintaro stepped out of the water and approached Hokuto on the riverbank. 

It’s easy to fall into a conversation with Shintaro and it didn’t have to be about some profound topic. Now that Jesse was gone, Shintaro was the only person whom Hokuto could have a chat with about random things and let his shoulders relax. Fortunately for Hokuto, Shintaro felt comfortable around him too. 

However this time, Shintaro couldn’t help but move his body awkwardly. He didn’t blatantly turn his head but the way his limbs kept facing towards the river told Hokuto that Shintaro felt bad for leaving Kyomoto alone. Internally, Hokuto let out an exasperated sigh. Shintaro was too caring for his own good. 

Hokuto decided that he should, for once, relent. So he gestured to Shintaro to walk back into the water, towards where Kyomoto was standing. For Shintaro, Hokuto reasoned with himself.

When Hokuto had his feet dipping inside the cold water, Kyomoto blinked several times with an unreadable expression in his eyes. The 24-year old didn’t flinch or look away when Hokuto arrived next to him, but he didn’t linger long. After exchanging a few words, Kyomoto said that he’ll leave first and told them to make use of today to relax before tomorrow's mission. 

Hokuto watched Kyomoto’s back moving away from the corner of his eyes. Kyomoto never looked back.

******

Shintaro looked sorry as he explained how he was assigned by Lord Iwamoto as the chief of the guard troop during the visit of Lord Yamada from the far south. Despite feeling disappointed, Hokuto smiled and told Shintaro to take care while he’s gone. 

The assignment for Hokuto was going to be one of his most dangerous yet. Abe Clan’s two top warriors, Meguro Ren and Sakuma Daisuke, were rumored to be arriving in a neighboring area for some business. Hokuto’s job was to kill them and it won’t be an easy task.

He was more than fired up when Lord Iwamoto assigned him the mission. To kill Meguro Ren had been Hokuto’s sole motivation for living for the past 6 months. However he couldn’t hold back a disapproving frown when Lord Iwamoto called Kyomoto and Kouchi to conduct the mission with him. During the several months of knowing the two newcomers, Hokuto had witnessed their impressive combat skills so it wasn’t exactly a surprise that Lord Iwamoto trusted them with the job. And yet Hokuto felt his blood boiling at the thought of doing the mission with them. Especially Kyomoto.

Later Hokuto requested for a private audience with his lord and conveyed his disagreement with the arrangement. Lord Iwamoto looked like he already predicted Hokuto’s argument and replied with a decisive tone. “Because this is a highly difficult job, you need Kyomoto. You need your bond.”

Hokuto bit back his rebuttal and accepted his defeat, although unwillingly. When he retreated to his chamber and washed his body, he looked down to the left side of his chest and thought of plunging his blade to rip off the pink camellia from his skin. He didn’t want this mark and the soulmate bond he shared with Kyomoto. The bond allowed Hokuto to receive life energy from Kyomoto and vice versa. This might be needed when the mission went south and one of them was dying. Hokuto understood that. 

But he didn’t want a pink camellia. He wanted a red spider lily. If he had that instead, Jesse wouldn’t have to die. 

*****

Hokuto had realized that he had made a huge mistake from the time he got caught by Abe’s underlings. But he wasn’t aware of the gravity of his recklessness until he saw Shintaro appearing beyond the metal cage that imprisoned him. 

Everything happened at a dizzying speed after Shintaro got Hokuto out. Shintaro explaining his escape plan, Kyomoto and Kouchi appearing with bloody swords, all four of them running to the direction of their home land, until at least twenty Abe Clan warriors caught up with them. There were no Meguro nor Sakuma among the enemy line, but they were still skilled sword-wielders and sorcerers. It’s only Kouchi who survived with mere scratches. Hokuto and Kyomoto both had at least one deep cut to their flesh, while Shintaro took the most damage with his left leg bent to a sickening angle.

Kouchi stood between Shintaro and five enemies, his posture steady even as he was cornered. His right hand made large movements to cast curses while his left hand powered the protective barrier around him and Shintaro. There was no trace of faltering in his motions, but the strained lines on Kouchi’s face were giving the signal that he might lose this unfair battle. 

When Hokuto and Kyomoto could finally arrive at Shintaro’s sides, Kouchi said to them, “Get him out of here.”

Hokuto snapped his neck so quickly, it surprised even himself. “Are you crazy?” he questioned Kouchi’s sanity with horror in his voice.

Kouchi’s voice sounded slightly impatient but other than that there was nothing else disturbing his composure. “Get on with it.”

Hokuto was about to argue again but stopped by the feeling of a hand on his right shoulder. He turned to see Kyomoto looking straight at him and said, “Trust him.” The way Kyomoto’s eyes were entirely free of doubt made Hokuto think that Kyomoto might have been as insane as Kouchi. 

Yet Hokuto decided to go against his instinct and obeyed the people he considered lunatics. Dropping to his knees, Hokuto told Shintaro to climb on his back. Kyomoto shouted “See you later” to Kouchi and they left the scene after Kouchi’s confident “Aah.”

Their escape was going well until two enemies caught up with them and the sorcerer blew the rock hill above their heads. The shock hit Hokuto so hard that he lost connection with all his senses for a second. When he was no longer numb, the first thing he noticed was the lightness on his back. He immediately twisted his head around and horrified to find Shintaro on the ground with his lower body trapped under a huge pile of rocks. 

Hokuto didn’t waste any time to approach Shintaro and tried to save him, but Hokuto only had an expertise in sword-wielding and a sword couldn’t help him in this nightmarish scenario.

“Leave me, it’s okay.” Despite the river of sweat running on his face, Shintaro grinned as he basically told Hokuto to kill him.

“Don’t even think about it!” Hokuto intended to scold Shintaro for his cruel request, but the words came out of his lips with a tremble.

“It’s really fine. I don’t have much time anyway--”

Before Hokuto could even process Shintaro’s words, Kyomoto jumped next to them and spoke with an impressive calmness. “Too soon to give up.”

Without wasting a beat, Kyomoto explained how he learned a little sorcery from Kouchi and might be able to destroy the rocks although it would take much longer compared to Kouchi, then asked Hokuto to take care of their pursuers while Kyomoto worked on it. It didn’t even occur to Hokuto to argue with Kyomoto or to berate himself for trusting Kyomoto so easily. Eventually he found himself feeling glad for his decision as reinforcement came and they managed to escape with everyone’s souls still intact. 

Back in Lord Iwamoto residence, Hokuto bowed his head to everyone, starting from Shintaro and Lord Iwamoto, to every samurai that helped get him out of the mess he made. Yes, even to Kyomoto and Kouchi, who gave him an understanding nod and a shrug, respectively. Lord Iwamoto dismissed him with enough punishments that Hokuto gladly accepted, the only words Hokuto spoke of was a request to visit the recuperating Shintaro. 

On his way to Shintaro’s chamber, Hokuto was followed by Kyomoto who asked if he could come along. Before today Hokuto would’ve refused, but he’s fully aware that Kyomoto was one of the reasons Shintaro was still alive and so he said yes.

Shintaro welcomed them with his usual smile but soon he grew tired and fell asleep. Looking at Shintaro’s peaceful face, Kyomoto mumbled with a voice so low that Hokuto could barely catch the words.

“Praise the Gods, I don’t have to lose you too.”

Hokuto never mentioned to Kyomoto that he heard what he said, nor the fact that he sees him in a different light ever since.

******

Fuck the Gods. Hokuto had a grudge on them ever since they robbed Jesse away from him and now they took Shintaro too. 

The injuries caused by Hokuto’s blunder made Shintaro bedridden for a whole month, but Shintaro was recovering smoothly. It’s supposed to be another month of bed rest before Shintaro could go back to the field, so Hokuto was shocked to hear Shintaro passing away. 

Apparently it was only Lord Iwamoto, chief healer, and Shintaro himself who knew about Shintaro’s chronic illness. The young samurai had already lived several months longer than the chief healer predicted so it’s a blessing from the Gods, said the healer. Hokuto responded by saying the Gods can fuck themselves and stormed out of the room. 

Hokuto took out his whole sake collection and opened the bottles one by one as he sat on the engawa in front of his sleeping chamber. He didn’t count how many bottles he had, it was definitely too many as he failed to notice the sky had turned dark and there’s another presence in his small garden. 

It didn’t even occur to Hokuto to question why Kyomoto was in his house. He merely grunted his agreement when the latter asked if he could accompany him. All of his anger was focused on the Gods, so he couldn’t be bothered with Kyomoto. At least Kyomoto didn’t preach to him about the art of letting go, or stop him from drinking. 

As the night wore on, Hokuto started to shift his attention towards Kyomoto. He began to notice the signs of sorrow on the lines of his beautiful face, also the facade of smile that Kyomoto forced upon himself as he stumbled with his words to tell Hokuto random silly things he experienced as a kid, since they had no food for tsumami to their sake. 

Something also came to Hokuto’s memory, a fact that he heard from Kyomoto himself just two weeks ago. It’s when Hokuto saw Kyomoto carrying a bouquet of flowers and for some reason asked Kyomoto about it instead of ignoring him. Kyomoto didn’t hesitate to tell him that it’s the death anniversary of his beloved, and didn’t say no when Hokuto asked if he could join to honor him. “His name is Tanaka Juri,” Kyomoto said, giving Hokuto a name to chant in his prayer.

With the realizations filling Hokuto’s inebriated mind, Hokuto leaned towards Kyomoto. He saw Kyomoto’s eyes going wide, but the latter didn’t try to move away. Not even when Hokuto pressed their lips together. The way Kyomoto responded to Hokuto’s following touches was nothing but acceptance. 

When they moved to Hokuto’s room and their bodies were free from any covering fabric, Hokuto hovered above Kyomoto and stayed still. His gaze fell to the pink camellia on Kyomoto’s chest and he mumbled before he even realized that his lips were moving.

“I hate it.”

When he finally registered what he said, Hokuto lifted his gaze to Kyomoto’s face. He saw Kyomoto looking at him with sincerity and saying, “I’m sorry.”

An invisible hand reached inside Hokuto’s ribs and clenched his heart as it dawned upon him that Kyomoto was apologizing for being his soulmate. 

“No, Taiga…” The name stumbling out felt foreign to his lips, and yet also felt right. “I just… I hope we don’t ever have to use it."

Taiga’s beautiful orbs blinked twice and Hokuto was relieved to see that some part of the sadness there had been replaced by a glint of serenity. 

“We don’t have to,” whispered Taiga, quiet but certain.

When Taiga continued by calling his first name, Hokuto dived to embrace Taiga in an earnest kiss.


End file.
